Building a tort table- questions

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ChiKat

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I'm planning on building Nelson a tort table some time this week.
He is a 7-month old Russian and he's been so active and restless lately- constantly trying to climb out of his enclosure :rolleyes: so I've decided he needs more space! But I have a few questions first.

I have the carpentry skills of a toddler so I'm planning on just building a simple rectangle with a base :p
I was thinking of making it 4x2- that will be enough space for a while, right? I can't really make it longer than 4 feet because it's going in a specific corner of my house.

How tall should I make the sides? In his enclosure now (a plastic container) the sides are just over a foot tall. Would a foot be tall enough? 1 1/2 feet?

What type of wood would you recommend? I know plywood would be the cheapest but I would like it to look a little nicer. I was leaning towards pine but wasn't sure if I could use that (chemicals?)

I plan on using a shower curtain or something similar underneath the substrate. How would you recommend attaching this to the sides of the table? I've heard of people using silicone glue, staples, tape, etc.

Sorry for all the questions!
 

Yvonne G

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You should have it tall enough that you can have about 4" of substrate. I always measure by ... if the tortoise stands on another tortoise can his front legs reach the top? If so, then its too short. Even if its an only child I use the same rule of thumb.

I think 4' x 2' is fine for a very young Russian.

I don't think the type of wood matters with the exception of redwood or cedar. I'm sure pine would be ok, however, you can buy plywood that has a good side. And it would look fine on the room side. Plywood is probably pine too.

I folded the corners like you would "hospital corners" on making a bed. Then if you have it long enough to reach up over the top just an inch or so, you can use staples. Some feel staples are unsafe if they should fall into the habitat. They make a really strong duct tape called Gorilla Tape that I'm sure would work too.
 

chadk

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I agree with Yvonne. 4x2 sounds great. I'd go as deep as you can. But depends on how high you are going to put it. Will it sit on legs or a stand or just on the floor? If on the floor, the higher sides are best. Keeps the dogs and kids out of reach for one thing... Think bout lights as well. A foot to 16 inches is a good distance for lamps and easy to rig up safely on a cross beam (2x4 nailed accross for example).

For the plastic, I agree about cutting it too big, then folding back under to form a nice neat crease at the level you want. You can then use some cheap plastic or wood molding and a few small nails or screws to hold it in place. This will be a very safe and effective as well a nice looking way to keep the plastic up. Another option with this is to let the plastic come over the outside edge and run the molding or just a strip of 1x2 along the outside (or inside) lip and caputure the plastic under it.

For the basic enclosure, assuming you can't find a suitable book case for free or close on CL (so many good ones I found when I was looking...), you could cut your 2 ft and 4 foot sides, and use 2x2s in each corner the same height as the sides. You attach eash side to the corner posts for a secure corner. You may have had a better plan already, just an idea...
 

GBtortoises

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ChiKat-2' x 4' is a decent size for a tortoise your size that will still be able to live in the same enclosure once it reaches adult size. The majority of my indoor enclosures are 2' x 4' & 2' x 6'. They are all also 12" high but the height you will want in your situation really depends upon how deep you plan to maintain the substrate. I always plan for 12" height above the substrate depth. But the substrate in my indoor enclosures isn't very deep compared to some.

Plywood is the least expensive and most durable way to go. If you want a decorative look on the outside buy a cabinet grade plywood. The big chain home centers usually carry oak, birch, sometimes maple and poplar. If you have a specialty wood supplier in you're area you can you can find those woods and more. But be forewarned that anything other than cdx (construction grade) plywood is very expensive. A 3/4" x 4' x 8' sheet of plywood is usually around $40-50 per sheet.

Pine boards come in 2 thicknesses-3/4" and 5/4 (1 1/8") by common widths and lengths. The problem with pine is that it is a softwood and not very durable in the long run. Good quality pine lumber will also have very few knots and almost no visable wood grain showing.

There is no chemicals present in untreated pine boards and none to be concerned about in plywood. The only chemical in plywood is the glue holding the plys together but it is a solid once it cures and will not leach out with moisture.

A good quality paint or clear finish will make the cleaning and durability of the wood that much better.

All of my larger enclosures are 3/4" cdx plywood with a good quality white acrylic latex enamel or an alkyd latex painted on them. They are really easy to keep clean and I some have been in service for almost 20 years and have only needed re-painting once.

You can get similar results from a clear polyurethane finish which would be ideal if you're going for the decorative look and want to see the wood grain.

There are some photos of mine somewhere in the "Enclosures" forum.
 

ChiKat

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Thank you all for your responses!
I think I might just go ahead and do a height of 1.5 feet. Nelson isn't big on digging/burrowing but I still like to have several inches of substrate in there...just in case he decides to burrow one day :rolleyes:
The enclosure will be sitting on the floor (until I have the skillz to someday build a stand/table ;)) but there aren't any kids in the house (except for my 15-year old sister ;))

Great ideas for the shower curtain. I'll have to practice my "hospital corners" ;)
Chad I like your idea about using molding to cover up the edges!
 

spikethebest

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roycereptile_tortoisetablealt.jpg
 

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ChiKat

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Right...so does anyone want to build that for me? :D
I love that table!

I have this light stand...
light.jpg


so luckily I don't have to attempt to build something for the light fixture!
 

spikethebest

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GBtortoises said:
Too bad shipping costs so much. I'd love to build tortoise enclosures for people. I am a carpenter/woodworker with a complete shop and build custom furniture locally.


can you put together easy to read instructions with pictures, and templates to size everything properly? that is free to ship via email!
 
I

Italianlnm

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That is a great idea Spike, and I would love to get a copy sent to me!!

I really think you should think about doing that!
 

GBtortoises

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Anybody that is interested send me an Email and give me the overall exterior size that you have in mind (length, width and height) that you want. I'll respond with dimensions that the wood needs to be cut and simple assembly instructions. Give me a few days to reply.

My Email address is my signature at the bottom.

Gary
 

ChiKat

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Well my mom and I attempted to build Nelson's new enclosure today...it did not go well. At all.
I alternated between laughing hysterically and wanting to cry because we are CLEARLY not carpenters ;)
Neither of us have ever touched a drill before so that was interesting. My mom suggested nailing it together :rolleyes: and we ended up pounding the nails in sideways, or splitting the wood.
It is finally put together and luckily Nelson won't care how it looks ;) (and it's safe and sturdy- don't worry! ;))

But I am never building a table again. The next time I need one, I am flying you to my house Gary, and you can build one for me!!

As soon as my coir bricks are delivered in the mail (should be this week) I will set everything up and post pictures. He's going to love it and I can't wait to move him into his nice new enclosure!!!

But never again. I'm buying a bookcase next time ;)
 

Isa

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Katie, you must have had a lot of fun with your mom building Nelson's enclosure :D. I am sure you both are very proud too see the final product because you put a lot of effort in building it. I can't wait to see the pics, I am sure it looks nice :D
 

-ryan-

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That's how you learn. Next time you build one (don't give up on yourself yet!) you will be better prepared. I enjoy amateur carpentry as a hobby and I know that right now I am not great at it. But, once you build something once, you know how to do it better the next time. Over this past summer I built a deck for the first time. It is a perfectly suitable deck, but now I will know exactly what to do and what not to do next time I have to build one.

Pics?

ChiKat said:
Well my mom and I attempted to build Nelson's new enclosure today...it did not go well. At all.
I alternated between laughing hysterically and wanting to cry because we are CLEARLY not carpenters ;)
Neither of us have ever touched a drill before so that was interesting. My mom suggested nailing it together :rolleyes: and we ended up pounding the nails in sideways, or splitting the wood.
It is finally put together and luckily Nelson won't care how it looks ;) (and it's safe and sturdy- don't worry! ;))

But I am never building a table again. The next time I need one, I am flying you to my house Gary, and you can build one for me!!

As soon as my coir bricks are delivered in the mail (should be this week) I will set everything up and post pictures. He's going to love it and I can't wait to move him into his nice new enclosure!!!

But never again. I'm buying a bookcase next time ;)
 

GBtortoises

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Sounds like you had fun and got the job done. That's what it's all about!

I truly do wish I could build them and ship them out for people but the shipping cost makes it very expensive.

The bookcase idea is a good way to go also. Sometimes the back of them may need to be reinforced with a stronger plywood or somehow better supported. But a good alternative to building one.
 

sammi

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I'm sure it is perfect to Nelson =] May we see pictures of the finished product?
 

ChiKat

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Of course I will post pictures! Just not close-ups where you can see all the imperfections ;)
I was going to wait to post pictures until it's set up. The only thing in there right now is a plastic tarp- I'm waiting for the coir bricks to be delivered!!
I was hoping they would be delivered while I was at work today but no such luck.

eta: Oo I just checked the tracking and the package should be delivered today!!
 
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